5-Day Workshop Drawing and Painting in the Renaissance Manner

This workshop is for a limited number of serious amateurs and professionals. This workshop will focus on how painters trained in Bottegas of the High Renaissance. Michale Mentler will take you through each phase of their apprenticeship/journeyman programs. You are guaranteed to learn a great many things. The most important aspect is learning how to […]

Read More

Figure drawing sessions, Every Friday

Chalk Header TSoFA

Join us at the Society of Figurative Arts in Carrollton, TX for the uninstructed life drawing sessions every Friday 10:30am – 1:30pm. Artists of all levels are welcome! Space is limited, so reserve your spot by signing up on our website.

Read More

CHARVIN EXTRA FINE & FINE OIL COLOUR REVIEW

PROSPECTOUS: Extra-Fine Gold Our range of 208 extra-fine oil colours offers the most extensive palette of colours in the world, with poppy oil being the principal binder of all our colours. This gives the paste a brilliant appearance, plus a creamy texture, and most importantly prevents your colours from yellowing with age. However, it also […]

Read More

Is The Munsell Color Matching System The Best System For Painters?

THE SHORT ANSWER IS NO. Color Matching is the key here; a few Realist painters adhere to the Munsell system to match colors. Practitioners of Munsell use his ten basic hues: Yellow (Y), Yellow Green (G-Y), Green (G), Blue-Green (B-G), Blue (B), Purple-Blue (P-B), Purple (P), Red-Purple (R-P), Red (R), and Yellow-Red (Y-R). Lighting and […]

Read More

The Other Nicolai Fechin

Nicolai Fechin’s figurative works are so influential that one rarely considers his prowess in other genres. The landscape and still life paintings are masterpieces in their own right; his palette knife technique is both brutal and superb. His orchestration of color sets the stage with analogous surrounds highlighting the lead singer. His painting philosophy and […]

Read More

Get Some Skin in the Game

Fleshing it out, from traditional to transitional Odd Nerdrum works with a very traditional limited palette. He premixes and very seldom goes back to white after he starts. There are no Cadmiums, or Lead White. One should take note that there is no Cadmium Yellow in any of the color strings, there is also no […]

Read More

Branded

THE BRANDS OF OIL PAINT WE USE AND WHYIn alphabetical order, our go-to oil paint brands are M. Graham, Michael Harding, Rembrandt, Schmincke Mussini, and Sennelier. We have used M. Graham for over two decades and have found them to be a top-tier brand that rivals the best. Since they are only a few decades […]

Read More

What would leo do?

Title image with a bust of Leonardo against the forest green background

CHAP. XX.—Of drawing Academy Figures. “WHEN you draw from a naked model, always sketch in the whole of the figure, suiting all the members well to each other; and though you finish only that part which appears the best, have a regard to the rest, that, whenever you make use of such studies, all the […]

Read More

What is the point?

How To Sharpen Your Way To Dull Insipid Drawings. We realize the many venues spend a great deal of time showing novice practitioners how to sharpen their pencils and crayons to beautiful long fragile needle points. Sharp pencils have their place, but it is not the first order of business in learning to draw. Unfortunately, […]

Read More

4-Day Drawing into painting Workshop: Heads, Faces, and Features

In this 4-day workshop Michael Mentler will go over classical mediums and substrates used in Renaissance Bottegas’. Michael will also cover in-depth head construction using the proprietary CSI proportion system and the best Aspective views. Additionally, he’ll demonstrate the construction of the eyes, ears, mouth, and nose. Attendees will learn how to develop Sanguine Velatura’s; starting with dry media on linen panels and transforming drawings into paintings seamlessly. This workshop goes beyond drawing what one sees by revealing what to look for and sets forth the needed skill-sets to proceed on one’s path to mastery. Enroll today to attend this workshop on November 11-14, spaces are limited.

Read More